Wednesday, January 13, 2016

A couple weeks back I came across BULL's feature Rejection Notes. Love it. Just plain love it. I couldn't resist submitting one of my own.

Basically the deal with Rejection Notes is you're standing in as an editor who is rejecting a famous author. Some at BULL have been Arthur Conan Doyle, Franz Kafka, and Norman Mailer. I submitted one based on Georges Perec, the dude who wrote an entire book without using the letter "e."

This submission resulted in the most amazing rejection letter I've ever received from the editors of BULL.

Below is my original submission followed by BULL's rejection. It's classic.

Rejection Notes: Georges Perec

by Sheldon Lee Compton

F bruary 12, 1968

D ar Mr. P r c,

Thank you for giving us the chanc to r ad your nov l La disparition. W w r amaz d at the l v l of constraint in your work. How in th h ll did you manage a 300-pag nov l this way? That said, w ’r going to pass, though our associat ditor insists the abs nc of the l tt r should b consid r d a m taphor for the “author’s own disapp arance,” consid ring it app ars four tim s in your nam alon . The probl m is that onc w notic d this amazing omission, focusing on the nov l its lf b came as difficult for us as it must b for you to focus on this l tt r.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

This week's roundup includes everything from an infant dictator to an interview with one of our most prolific literary citizens, from calling bull shit on formula writing to poetry about strong-willed grandmothers.

Blake Kimzey writes some fiction for The Boiler that has as much pose in prose as anything I've read in a long time. Read his story "The Quiet."

One of my favorite regional writers is Misty Skaggs. Her poem "Vangeline" in Not Kidding just tore me down in the best ways. A sample: "She gave birth to a general store/on a rural route, instead." Read her poem.

Gabino Iglesias is one of those rare literary figures who does as much for the community as he does within the community. He has an inexhaustible passion for both roles. So it was great to see him interviewed at Entropy about his recent book Zero Saints. Read the interview.

At Autre Magazine Matthew Vollmer takes something topical and tighropes his way to a great story. There's so much wonderful risk-taking with the voice and tone of this one. Read his story "Fat Kid."

I hope someone has said so before me, but Bud Smith is probably one of the most natural, unassuming writers out there. There's something about his fiction and poetry that seems like a relaxed conversation with a close friend. His story "Jant" at the spectacular Monkeybicycle puts this on display perfectly. Read the story.

Could not agree more with this essay by Lincoln Michel at Electric Literature calling bull shit on formula writing. Read the essay.

Many of the stories in this issue of Microfiction Monday Magazine are good, but Len Kuntz's stands out. An excellent example of what a good story can do with just the right amount of ambiguity. Read the story.

I've been trying for years to land a story in Hobart. If I could write like Dave Housley I'd have a much better chance. Just take a look at his story "Baby Hitler and the Slow Talking Man." Read the story.

This story "Bearish" by Leesa Cross-Smith at NANO Fiction has not a single word that doesn't fit together perfectly. More than any other, this story made me want to write better this past week. Read the story.

Writing prompt queen and writer extraordinaire Meg Pokrass has a new book of prose poetry available. Cellulose Pajamas, to my mind, is a promise of magical work primed and ready to please your eyeholes. Find out more.

Sunday, January 3, 2016

At the risk of jinxing myself, I hope to start putting out this sort of roundup about once a week again. Here's the second installment. It's important to note that these are various lit-related items I've come across in the past week, not necessarily published in the past week.

1. I don't know how long they've been doing this, but I noticed this past week that Ploughshares is picking their favorite short story they read for the past week. This one I'm pleased to say is from the epic Smokelong Quarterly and is by Nicholas Olson - Read the story.

2. This one's a throwback to a journal I miss a great deal called >kill author. It's a beautiful thing that their archives are still up to read. This is a story from Issue Two. Enjoy Steven J. McDermott's "Big Dumb Animal" - Read the story.

3. It's probably no secret that I consider Chris Offutt to be the best writer from Kentucky working today. In fact, let's go ahead and say of all time. Best from Kentucky of all time. In any case, The Gaurdian recently published an article called "The Best Book We've Read All Year" that has various writers and readers pick the best books they read in 2015. Chris's first story collection Kentucky Straight was chosen, a book published all the way back in 1992. Way to go Chris! - Read the article.

4. A lot of insight in this talk with Ravi Mangla about flash fiction and more at Buffalo Almanac. He's one of the best at the form, hands down - Read the interview.

5. This interview at Smokelong with micro-boss Joseph Young. I just finished reading Young's Easter Rabbit, so that's one read down about twenty to go - Read the interview.

6. I've been clear the book I'm most looking forward to reading this year is Ryan W. Bradley's Nothing But the Dead and Dying. Second on that list? No hesitation, Mel Bosworth and Ryan Ridge's Camouflage Country. Here's an excerpt from that book over at Nerve - Read the excerpt.

7. Meg Tuite has a new collection of flash fiction out. It's called Lined Up Like Scars. Here's a press release about it, complete with a link to order. Congratulations, Meg! - Read about it.

8. Ig Publishing is starting an interesting series of book that will be edited by my former mentor Kirby Gann, who will also author one of the books. It's about books that inspired writers to become writers. Ig says they see it as similar to the 33 1/3 books on influential music - Read about it.